3G Digital Signage

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Over the past six months MediaTile has been very active with both Sprint and Verizon Wireless 4G launch events across the country as new cities are “lit” with a new generation of high-bandwidth wireless services. 

As we near our 50th 4G launch event this week, customer reactions to our “cloud-based” solutions – which deliver  both the advantages of 3G and 4G cellular (wireless) digital signage and SaaS-based content management services – continue to be met with a combination of relief and awe.

Simply put, cloud-based digital signage eliminates many of the costs and complexities associated with traditional deployments that require heavy investment and maintenance in on-site IP-based network gear and services.  Unlike these traditional systems, cloud-based digital signage is remarkably simple to deploy, and easy to use.  While in Phoenix, at a recent Verizon Wireless 4G LTE launch event,  it was fortunate that I was demonstrating our HumanKiosk with MediaCast Video Presence next to an artistic display in the US Airways center that featured a 20-foot power cable, plugged into a 10-foot representation of a power outlet.  

Thinking back on one of our earliest taglines at MediaTile, which was “Just Add Power™” I couldn’t have asked for a more representative location.  With 3G/4G wireless services being built-into our media players, and complete control through our web-based MediaCast system, all you need for next digital signage deployment is a standard power outlet.  And with advanced 4G services, even on-site T1 networks pale in comparison to what is possible with cloud-based digital signage. 

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Today is day two for me at the Sprint Developer’s Conference in Santa Clara, CA.  Yesterday, Sprint M2M president Danny Bowman, and VP of Marketing Wayne Ward gave an enlightening keynote on Sprint’s view of the Machine to Machine market to the more than 1200 attendees in a packed room.  

The key focus of this event is on Sprint partners, such as MediaTile, and the use of embedded modems and 3G/4G data services included in vertical solutions.  As Danny explained in his keynote “We’re only as good as the partnership we have...we’ can’t do any of this without the participation of folks in this room.” 

MediaTile was prominently featured in their keynote presentation as a perfect example of an M2M partner, and how our Cellular Digital Signage /HumanKiosk uses the Sprint 4G network to deliver new 2-way video capabilities in the digital signage / kiosk marketplace.  This created serious attention and traffic to our HumanKiosk demonstration area, located in the main exhibit hall.  If you’re still at the show today or tomorrow, stop by and I’ll give you a personal demonstration.    Yesterday, I was accompanied by Jessica, pictured above, who helped with the product demonstrations. 

If you’d like to learn more about how 4G will fundamentally change the digital signage industry, you can download this free 3G/4G Digital Signage whitepaper from the Digital Signage Today site.

(Today's guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Yesterday, I attended the grand opening of Sprint’s M2M (Machine to Machine) Collaboration Center in Burlingame, CA.  As MediaTile is the leader in 3G/4G cellular digital signage, it was both an honor and a privilege to attend this event and to have our latest prototype, the HumanKiosk, prominently featured with a variety of other "game-changers." 

With press and analysts in attendance, it was also nice to see the positive reaction and interest that the HumanKiosk continues to draw. This photo is of one of our Sprint Solutions Engineers, Larry, giving a demonstration of the HumanKiosk to one of the six press groups who came through.
 

The purpose of the center, as you can read from the Sprint website is that the Sprint M2M Collaboration Center brings together Sprint partners, equipment providers, customers and employees to rapidly prototype, test and launch concepts and new ideas." The press release was issued this morning, and lists all the Sprint 4G M2M collaborators, including MediaTile.

If you’d lke to learn more about how 4G will fundamentally change the digital signage industry, you can download this free 3G/4G Digital Signage whitepaper from the Digital Signage Today site.

Today I am off to the Sprint Open Developers conference in Santa Clara, again showcasing MediaTile’s 3G/4G cellular digital signage and the HumanKiosk. You can learn more about that event here. I’ll post about that one tomorrow.

(Today's Guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

I’m here at CTIA in San  Francisco, and the show theme is the “Wireless Enterprise”.  So what better time than now for Verizon Wireless to announce their 4G LTE launch plans?  Verizon Wireless President and COO, Lowell McAdam, unveiled the company’s plans to launch 4G LTE services in 38 cities, covering 110 million people by the end of the year.   Big news indeed!

I was equally impressed by the vision that Verizon Wireless, as well as Sprint and other carriers, share for 4G-enabled solutions. They see 4G as a true transformation of their  (and others') industry - enabling a whole new generation of connected M2M (Machine to Machine) devices extending beyond traditional handheld devices. MediaTile has been living this vision since its inception, with our embedded 3G and emerging 4G cellular digital signage platform. But now, with 4G, we can offer revolutionary products and services such as the 4G HumanKiosk with 2-way video.

From MediaTile’s perspective, where 3G cellular digital signage solutions were engaging,  4G solutions will be truly immersive.  And since we’re supporting both platforms, 4G WiMax and 4G LTE, we’ve got all bases covered.

For more info about Verizon's plans for the world’s largest LTE network rollout, check out this article from Mobile Business Briefing News...
 

(Today's Guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Today we are showcasing MediaTile’s award-winning HumanKiosk prototype in Sprint’s booth at the CTIA show in San Francisco:  #543 West Concourse.   If you are planning on attending CTIA this week, please stop by and I’ll give you a demonstration of this next-generation interactive digital signage platform with live, 2-way video capabilities.

It was also great to see Sprint announce its new Command Center at the show today.  The Sprint Command Center is essentially a web-based portal that is targeted to M2M  (machine to machine) companies such as MediaTile.  The Command Center will enable us to provision and manage our 3G and 4G cellular digital signage networks.  So not only has Sprint enabled us to embed a secure, wireless network directly into our digital signage product line, we’ll now have the ability to better manage it on behalf of our customers, and our customer’s customers.

If you’re not familiar with the HumanKiosk, check it out here. 

MediaTile’s HumanKiosk was again on center stage, this time in Tampa, Florida, at another Sprint 4G Roadshow event. The HumanKiosk is a next-generation digital signage prototype that draws a lot of attention and interest as it showcases a high-definition, interactive digital signage platform with the  unique addition of a live, 2-way video chat session using our MediaCast Video Presence software. 

The all-in-one system only requires power to work – making it highly suitable for retailers, brands, hospitals, banks and a host of other locations who want to deliver enhanced customer service, but who don’t or can’t use their existing on-site network.
 

Sprint’s 4G network boasts 10x more bandwidth over 3G networks. Thus eliminating any remaining variance between hard-wired, high bandwidth networks while providing all the advantages of a cellular solution:  more secure, more flexible, easier to deploy, higher reliability and linear scalability. 

This week, we're at the CTIA Enterprise and Applications show in San Francisco, to demonstrate the HumanKiosk with MediaCast Video Presence in Sprint’s booth #543 on the West Concourse – if you’re around, please stop by for an in-person demo!

If you’d like to know more about the impact that 4G will have on Digital Signage, please visit Digital Signage Today and download the newly updated version of the “3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage” guide. This guide includes the latest 4G information and commentary by carriers, users and integrators.

On my morning commute, I couldn’t help but draw the analogy between the business value that 4G brings to the digital signage market with flying cars.  A strange thought, true, but while stuck in traffic, I began to ponder the problems LAN and Wi-Fi networks present to digital signage as being similar to roads and infrastructure, and how 3G and 4G completely eliminates these barriers.

LAN and Wi-Fi networks, like roads, limit where you can go, and are costly deploy and maintain.  If you’re relying on LAN and Wi-Fi “ip-roads” for digital signage, you can realistically only deploy signage where ip-roads currently exist, create your own ip-roads at a significant cost, face long-term ip-road maintenance fees, and continue to deal with ip-road traffic, especially during rush hour.  Even if you’ve got sophisticated network management gear, you might be able to create a special commute lane and manage traffic, but again, you’re dealing with lots of costly infrastructure. 

3G and 4G networks, like flying cars, allow you to go (deploy) wherever you want; you won’t be dealing with all the other traffic on the road, you have the ability to go as fast as the bandwidth allows – as fast, or even faster, than the traffic below.  Sprint’s 4G network delivers 3-6 Mbps download rates, plenty to get your media to its destination quickly and securely.  And even from a security standpoint, you’re not subject to having to “park” your player on an ip-road, where it can be seen and potentially broken (hacked) into.  You’re on your own private and secure 4G road in the air.  For these and other important advantages of 3G / 4G digital signage, please check out this whitepaper from Digital Signage Today.

Unlike 4G services, which are now in more than 30 markets and growing, the promise of flying cars is still a ways off, but getting closer.  You can learn more about the first commercial flying car or visit Terrafugia and even put your $10,000 deposit down for an early order!
 

I was delighted to see that our new 3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage Whitepaper has made the Top10 list of downloads at Digital Signage Today. It’s great to see that there is a ton of interest in 3G and 4G based digital signage solutions, and that interest continues to grow among resellers and customers.

Recently, I’ve attended and demonstrated our 4G-based solutions in Sacramento, at the Government Technology Conference, and at a Sprint 4G Launch Event in Kansas City, and was overwhelmed by the newfound interest.   I believe that 4G is truly a “disruptive technology”, and it has the ability to change the networking landscape as we have come to know it. High-bandwidth networks no longer require a tethered network access point.

For everyone interested in how 4G wireless broadband networks will affect the digital signage industry, please visit Digital Signage Today and download the new, and just-released version of the “3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage” guide.  

Here’s what contributing editor Richard Slawsky, of Digital Signage Today, had to say about the impact that 4G will have: “Although 3G networking provided a breakthrough for digital signage, 4G is expected to be the ‘tipping point’ for a new generation of wireless digital signage deployments, as it eliminates any remaining variance between hard wired, high-bandwidth networks.”

(Today's Guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

Sprint has accelerated their marketing efforts around 4G, and is now offering 4G services in more than 30 US markets.  We are very excited about the 4G opportunity, including the soon to be released 4G LTE platform from Alcatel/Lucent and VerizonWireless.  

4G networks could very well be a tipping point for the entire digital signage industry, accelerating deployments and enabling new market opportunities.  If you’d like to know more about the impact that 4G will have on digital signage, please visit Digital Signage Today and download the newly updated version of the "3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage" guide. This guide includes the latest 4G information and commentary by carriers, users and integrators.

(Today's Guest entry comes from Mike Foster, CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile) 

For everyone interested in how 4G wireless broadband networks will affect the digital signage industry, please visit Digital Signage Today and download the just-released version of the “3G/4G Cellular-based Digital Signage” guide.   As the CMO and Co-Founder of MediaTile I’ve been working closely with Digital Signage Today for the past three years to create these “Cellular” guides to explain both the technical and business advantages of using 3G wireless broadband as the fundamental network for digital signage deployments.  

The new guide includes the latest 4G information and commentary by carriers, users and integrators. With 4G now available in more than 27+ US markets from Sprint, and 4G LTE technology poised for release by end of year, this guide is a must-read for digital signage network customers, operators, deployers and vendors alike.

Here’s what contributing editor Richard Slawsky, of Digital Signage Today, had to say about the impact that 4G will have: “Although 3G networking provided a breakthrough for digital signage, 4G is expected to be the ‘tipping point’ for a new generation of wireless digital signage deployments, as it eliminates any remaining variance between hard wired, high-bandwidth networks.